By K.N.Kumar
Elections are meant to be a clash of ideas, an opportunity for citizens to choose leaders who will shape a better future. But in many parts of the country, they’ve become the reverse – a race to offer the best freebies. From free electricity and farm loan waivers to gas cylinders, gold for weddings, washing machines, and even livestock like pigs and goats, elections have turned into a Bazaar of handouts. This is not about generosity; it is about making a mockery of the idea of democracy itself. I call this the ’Great Indian Vote Bizarre”.
A 2023 report from the Centre for Policy Research found that nearly 70% of election promises over the past decade included cash or goods to sway voters. In poorer states, where people are desperate for any relief, these short-term gifts often matter more than long-term plans for better schools, roads, or hospitals. The deeper problem isn’t just the freebies—it’s the way they turn democracy into a transaction, where votes are bought rather than earned. Political parties, struggling to stand out with clear ideas or trustworthy leaders, are leaning more on these freebies to win votes.
Machinery Behind the Handouts
Delivering freebies isn’t a simple task. It takes a massive system of government officials to figure out who gets what and make sure it’s handed out on time. But this system is often tangled up with politics. In states like Telangana, Tamil Nadu, and Andhra Pradesh, ruling parties paint public housing (constructed with the taxpayers’ money) in their party colours to remind people who is behind the gift. In Madhya Pradesh, ration cards with leaders’ faces started appearing just before elections. These tactics blur the line between public service and campaign advertising, making it hard to tell where welfare ends and politics begins.
This cocktail of aid and patronage creates “vote banks”—groups of people who feel loyal to a party not because of its vision, but because of what it hands out. The voter, meant to be the backbone of democracy, is now a customer in the election bazaar.
Heavy Cost of Freebies
These giveaways come with a hefty price tag. States like Punjab are spending nearly half their budgets on subsidies and paying off old debts, leaving little for essential services such as schools, hospitals, or new roads. Tamil Nadu keeps exceeding its budget limits, but that doesn’t stop leaders from announcing new schemes before every election. Politicians understand the economic consequences—empty state coffers or rising debt—won’t hit them until after the votes are counted, so they continue promising more. This creates a dangerous cycle. States are scared to raise taxes, because it might upset voters. A 2022 Reserve Bank of India report showed that states are collecting less internal revenue than they used to, relying instead on central government funds or borrowing. It’s populism over progress, short-term gifts over long-term growth.
Cash for Votes: An Open Secret
Today vote-buying is blatant. Despite being against the law, handing out cash, liquor, drugs, or even gold is common during elections, especially at the local and state levels. In 2021, during Tamil Nadu’s elections, the Election Commission seized over Rs 1,000 crore worth of bribes. Political workers distribute cash to voters just before polling day. Most people don’t report it—it is, after all, their share of a broken system. Many voters know the money comes from shady sources—often public funds meant for other things—but they take it anyway. For people struggling to make ends meet, a few hundred rupees can feel like a lifeline. This cycle of economic insecurity and distrust in politicians keeps the cash-for-vote system alive.
The government hoped technology would clean up this mess. Programmes like Direct Benefit Transfers (DBT), which use bank accounts, Aadhaar, and mobile phones, were supposed to make welfare fairer by cutting out corrupt middlemen. But politics still finds a way in. Before the 2023 Karnataka elections, the ruling party rolled out new cash schemes for women and youth, timed perfectly to influence votes. It showed how even modern tools can be twisted to serve old-fashioned vote-buying. Technology hasn’t broken the vote-buying economy—it’s just made it digital.
Why Voters Expect Handouts
Why do so many voters go along with this? Education plays a significant role. Studies show that better-educated people are less likely to be swayed by handouts and more likely to vote based on policies and performance. A 2021 study from Ashoka University’s Trivedi Centre found that states with higher literacy rates, like Kerala, have voters who care more about how well leaders govern. Kerala, with its 94% literacy rate, sees voters regularly switch parties, holding leaders accountable. But it’s not fair to call voters corrupt or greedy. In a country where many people struggle to access basic services like healthcare or clean water, handouts can feel like the only time the government pays attention. The problem is not that people want help—it’s that this help is dangled as a reward for votes instead of being a right.
The Dependency Trap
The most considerable harm of this system is how it changes what democracy means. A 2022 survey by Lokniti-CSDS found that over half of voters in five central states expected something—a cash payment, a freebie, or a favour—in return for their vote. Elections have become like auctions, with parties bidding higher and higher to win. Opposition parties, unable to match the ruling party’s cash, often make even bigger promises they can’t keep, hoping to outdo their rivals. This isn’t just about money—it’s about the soul of democracy. When politics is reduced to a game of giveaways, it’s hard to have real conversations about fixing big problems like poverty, unemployment, or crumbling infrastructure. Voters are treated like customers to be wooed with gifts, not citizens with a voice in shaping their country’s future. Policy becomes a series of flashy announcements, not a roadmap for real change.
How Other Countries Do It Differently
Not every democracy operates this way. In Scandinavian countries like Sweden or Denmark, welfare is extensive—covering free healthcare, education, and more—but it’s administered through stable, transparent systems that are independent of election cycles. In the U.S. and U.K., campaign promises often centre on jobs, taxes, or economic growth, though populism is beginning to influence these areas too. India’s approach stands out because it uses poverty as a weapon. India’s “first-past-the-post” election system is part of the problem. In this setup, a candidate only needs more votes than their rivals to win, even if it’s just a slight edge. This pushes parties to focus on quick, targeted handouts to sway a few key voters in close races. India’s system rewards short-term tricks. With so many parties and voters split by caste, religion, and region, a small gift can swing just enough votes to win.
And, how do we reverse it?
India’s democracy shouldn’t feel like a cash machine spitting out favours. The current system rewards short-term bribes over authentic leadership and turns voters into deal-seekers instead of active citizens with a stake in their country’s future. To fix this, India needs more than budget reforms or stricter election rules—it needs a new way of thinking about what voting means. Changing the election system to reward broader, long-term plans might push parties to focus on progress over populism. Until that happens, the Great Indian Vote Bazaar will thrive. Parties will continue to win elections with votes that have lost all meaning.